Nine Hundred Years of the Knights Templar

Military religious orders, or knightly orders, emerged during the Crusades. They were the first well-trained Western armies since Roman times. This is the first comprehensive history of the knightly orders since the eighteenth century, tracing their long journey from their founding in the twelfth century to their transformation in modern times. It covers the rise of the Hospitallers and the Templars in the Holy Land; the Teutonic Order's shift from the Holy Land to the Baltic region and its conquest of Prussia; the Spanish military orders' role in the Reconquista; the dissolution of the Templars; the Hospitallers' retreat to Rhodes and Malta; the challenges and transformations faced by modern knightly orders; and the Order of Saint John organizations established across Europe and the Americas in the modern era. Amid tales of heroism, the author describes the organizational structures and insignia of the major knightly orders, explaining their dual nature as both monastic and military institutions. The book explores how different orders shaped the histories of the Near East, the Baltic region, the Iberian Peninsula, and the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the decline of their military role in modern times and their transition toward religious and charitable work.